Ninja 101
by xTrappedButterflyx
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki wants to become a ninja. However, no one believes in the power of ninja anymore and reside in foolish peace. Naruto, setting to prove them wrong, enrolls into a ninja school. But, what happens when peace really is disturbed? Can Naruto and fellow ninja step up to stop it? First, they need to pass the next pop quiz though. (I don't own Naruto or the characters.)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Enter Naruto Uzumaki

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Being a ninja means you are the best of the best. You're strong, powerful, brave, wise, trustworthy, and a hero of your land. Actually, that's what being a ninja meant way back when. Today, it means being a "person with a little too much imagination and a hyper-active personality". Words said only by the caretaker of the orphanage I live in.

No one believes in ninja anymore. They used to exist but died out many years ago. Back then, there were wars after wars. Believing there were too many deaths and too much destruction, our great leaders built the great Harō. That's "halo" if you speak English. The Harō was a bond that all the leaders of the land formed to have ultimate peace. It has worked for many years now, so it doesn't bother me. Ninja are what made it possible for the Harō to stay in place for so long. To ensure peace stays and stop all evil, I, Naruto Uzumaki will become a ninja but not any ninja.

I will become the Hokage! The leader of all ninja and people of my village, the Leaf Village!

"Yeah right! You're not even a ninja, idiot!" I grunted. Stupid kids. The brats around me laughed and called me names as I stood there telling them my dream. One of the elder girls came into the living room to give the younger kids their snack.

"Shuddap! I'm going to be a ninja! So, you kids better thank me when I protect you one day!" The snot-nosed brats kept laughing at me and ate their food.

"From what? A hurricane? An earthquake? Maybe even a tsunami?" I felt myself reddening. The only reason I didn't leave this place earlier was because the head lady said I had to watch these orphan brats. She didn't say I had to be nice. Ah, whatever, she just better get back here soon!

"That's not what ninja do! They fight bad ninja. You know, the bad guys!" The elder girl gave me a strange look.

"What bad guys? Everybody is peaceful." Uh, again with this?

"Not everybody. We still have criminals running around. Murders happen almost everyday. Besides, some people still practice the art of ninjutsu today!"

"Yeah, but that's like and one-sixteenth of all the people in the lands combined. Maybe even less. And, no one's gonna want a ninja for Hokage! Our Hokage is fine as he is." All the kids began to agree with her and jeer at me more. I rolled my eyes.

"He's a politician! He does nothing but fundraisers and dinner parties. When bad things happen, what do you expect him to do? Throw a dinner party and plead with the enemy to not kill us all? No! A Hokage must protect his people."

"Even so, how do you expect to become a ninja? I don't see any "ninja school" around here." I smirked and puffed out my chest a little.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but there is a ninja school still in operation! And, I'm enrolling there!" I tilted my head up and smiled as everybody in the room gasped.

That's right! There's one ninja school still up and running. It's called Yuniti High School. It's a school that offers lodge on campus and even work too. Back then, you would have to go through primary school in order to be ranked a Genin, or a low-ranked ninja. This school teaches kids my age for 4 years and graduates them with some high ninja rankings and stuff. If I graduate top of my class, I'll be a runner-up for Hokage for sure! I've already looked at stuff on how to learn the way of the ninja. Now, I usually don't study or read books or anything, but this is my dream. I need to put in a little extra work for it. Just then, the front door opened and the caretaker walked back in. The elder girl pointed at me and addressed her.

"Do you hear this boy!? He's speaking nonsense! You're not really going to let him go enroll in a ninja school, are you?" I narrowed my eyes at her. Nonsense! I never speak no nonsense! I always speak sense! Wait... Did that even make sense? I started to scratch my head in confusion as the head lady shook her head.

"Leave the boy alone." She turned to me. "Come on, Naruto. The bus will be coming soon." I grabbed my suitcases and backpack and headed out the door with the old lady behind me. I walked over to the edge of the street and set my stuff down. The head lady looked at my bags and looked up at me. "You really are serious."

"Of course I am! I've been serious since I was kid!" She sighed and, to my surprise, smiled.

"I know. I just never thought you'd go this far. We may never even see each other again." I thought about that. Yes, the school is very far, and a bus to the school didn't cost cheap either. It will be while before I see this place again. "Naruto." I looked down at the old lady. She held out her small palm to me. In it was a small, yellow bag with a daisy painted on top of it. "The flower is called "Hinagiku" or "daisy". It means "faith"." I took the small charm and looked down on it.

"Do I open it?"

"Only when you find yourself completely lost without faith." I looked at this old woman, whom was like a mother and grandmother toward me, and smiled. I gave a big hug and placed the charm in my jacket pocket. The public bus was only a little ways away, so I picked up my stuff and prepared to go.

"Naruto!" I looked behind me. All the people from the orphanage had come out. The kids were all crying and waving at me. They looked sad to see me go. I smiled as the bus pulled up towards me.

"Bye guys! See you around!" I boarded the bus and gave the driver the money. I walked all the way down to the eighth row since no one was on board but me. Putting my stuff away, I saw the caretaker through the window. She wore a sad look on her face. I smiled at her and waved one last time. Smiling, she turned her back and went back to the orphanage. I sat down, and the bus began to move. This it. This is the beginning of my journey to become a ninja.

No, this is my journey to become Hokage!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Yuniti High School

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"HEY! GET OUTTA MY WAY, BROWN NOSE!" I jerked up in my seat and groaned. Did I fall asleep? I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Falling asleep on a public bus doesn't feel too good. I can feel the cramps in my legs, and neck feels really stiff. I looked over my seat and spotted two middle-aged men fighting. The bus had filled with just a couple more people. I spotted a guy sitting behind the driver and a little old lady sitting in the third row. These two guys were arguing over something stupid, and the bus driver wouldn't move until they stopped and sat down.

"YOU LISTEN TO ME, YOU NO-GOOD BABOON! I WANT AN APOLOGY FOR YOU SOILING MY SHIRT WITH YOUR DISGUSTING DRINK!" The other guy, the "baboon", snorted and poked the "brown nose" in the belly.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY! GO JUMP A BRIDGE!" I gritted my teeth. I'll be late in getting to the high school at this rate! These guys gotta go. I stood up and approached the arguing idiots.

"Hey." They looked at me with annoyance.

"What do you want, kid?" The "baboon" said that. I glared and bared my teeth. I am _not _a kid!

"Look here, Mr. Baboon, right?" He glared at me while "brown nose" started laughing. "Shuddap, Mr. Brown Nose!" He stopped and glared at me too. "You guys need to stop. We all have places to go. Arguing over dirty shirts and apologies is what 5 year-olds do! I got places to be! We all do, so stop whining and pipe the heck down!" Mr. Brown Nose made a face at me.

"Like children have "places to go". Give me a break!" I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and growled. He's really testing me.

"I gotta go to school. You gotta get a get a new shirt. And, you," I inclined towards Mr. Baboon,"Gotta get a new drink. I think that's somethings we all can agree on. Oh, and _stop calling me a "kid"._" I let go of the clearly shaken Mr. Brown Nose. He jumped back and pointed to me.

"D-Delinquent!"

"I'm a natural blonde, dammit!" Mr. Baboon looked at me disgustingly. "What now? Something to say? Say it. Say it so we can leave already!"

"There are no schools this far out. What type of school are you going to?" I chuckled and rubbed under my nose with my index finger. A sign of confidence.

"Yuniti High School, duh! It's a ninja school!" There was a pause in the bus as everyone looked at me. "What?" In the next instant, the bus filled with laughter. They all laughed at me. The driver was banging his wheel and laughing hard. The guy behind him was cackling and rocking back and forth. I couldn't see the old woman laughing, but I saw the sneaky thing's shoulders shaking. The Mr. Baboon and Mr. Brown Nose laughed in my face and pointed at me.

"Ninja School!? That's the dumbest school I've ever heard of!"

"Yeah! What's after that? Are you going off to college to become a wizard!?" I grunted. Harry Potter jokes, really? I turned around and headed back to my seat. I knew it wasn't going to easy, so it doesn't matter what they say. I've heard enough in my lifetime already. As I walked back, I noticed someone else was in the bus too. He was on the right side and two seats behind me. He wore a dark blue kimono with a traditional straw hat covering his face. I could only see his mouth. His skin looked very pale.

What made me happy was that he wasn't laughing. I smiled at him and sat down. Once everyone had calmed down and sat down, the bus started moving again. After a couple stops later, I reached my destination. Jumping from my seat, I grabbed my bags and headed out the bus. As I walked out, I heard snickers and laughs behind me. I simply walked off the bus. Like I said before, I've heard enough already.

There was huge wheat farm that probably went for miles to my left; a road went through it too. To my right was nothing but woods. The trees were big. They had thick trunks and large, curvy roots. One tree is probably thirty times my height! I stared at the woods in wonder. Is Yuniti High really located in there?

Yuniti High is not a regular school. Besides the fact that it trains teens to become super cool ninjas, it's supposed to be hidden in this forest. I don't know the name of the forest, actually, I don't know _anything _about the forest. I only know what everyone else knows. Trees can't be cut down. Too tall. No one goes in there either. There's said to be wild animals that are too dangerous. I hitched up my backpack and watched the bus drive away. They're probably still laughing at me. Whatever! I'm gonna show them! I'm gonna show everybody! Taking in a deep breath, I pick up my stuff and headed for the woods.

"You're not really going in there? Are you?" I jumped and yelped. A cool and even voice sounded behind me. W-Who said that!? I turned around and spotted the kimono guy behind me.

"Were you there the whole time?" I still couldn't see his face and noticed he had some weird stick attached to his back. Was it bamboo or something?

"Of course. What? Didn't notice me? Some ninja-in-training you are." I felt my cheeks redden. Now that I think about it, he doesn't seem that much older than me but still! That doesn't give him the right to insult me!

"I was thinking about where to go! I needed to concentrate, so I wasn't paying attention!" I turned my head from him and heard something like "Yeah, sure.". I looked back at him. This guy pisses me off! "You live around here or something? If you do, you can leave now."

"My master owns a house across the field here. I'm staying there until he returns." I blinked. Master? Wait, he's a slave? Okay. That's just wrong. "I don't need you telling me what to do. I'm capable of handling myself unlike you." I gritted my teeth. That's it!

"Whatever! Stay here with your little "master" to worry about. By the way, that's just creepy. To think you're owned by someone in this day and age is sick! If you really are a capable person, you wouldn't need someone "own" you. You would have a free will and a free heart! Plus, it sounds like he left you. That means you can leave. You can leave and do whatever you want! Don't wait around for this guy to return. If he owns you and makes you think your his property, than I'm sorry, but no matter what debt you own him, it's not worth your freedom!" I huffed and looked straight at the guy. I couldn't see his expression, but his lips were parted. Guess he didn't get it. I have a habit for saying things before I speak, so it's not like I could've helped it. "I'm leaving!" I turned and trudged to the woods.

"N-No! Wait!" Turning my head, I called back.

"What is it no-" Suddenly, I felt something cold and hard slide against my cheek. All words died in my throat as my eyes looked back and caught a dirty face. A bandit! No doubt. I can practically smell the greed coming of his skin. I knew it was dangerous to stay out around twilight, but I never thought I'd really meet one. I looked back at kimono guy and saw three others surround him. He tensed and clenched his teeth. Hot, disgusting breath hit my neck as he spoke.

"Well, well, well! Looks like we got ourselves some traveling fools today. Wonder what's in their pockets." He chuckled, and his friends did the same. I felt all my blood rush to my right hand. The only weapon I have on me is a small knife I bought. It's in my back right pocket. It's effective and easy to use, but he has a knife right to my face... I grunted. No time to think! Dropping my bags, I swung my left elbow out and caught him in the face.

"Ah!" Now's my chance! I whipped out my knife and slashed his chest quickly. Blood flew from the blade, and I knew I hit him. Crying in pain, he stumbled back and hit the ground. A cry sounded from behind me. I turned.

"Kimono guy!" I looked and stopped in my tracks. One bandit was crying out on the ground in pain. Blood was gushing from a severe cut in his upper leg. The other two were holding their hands up, surrendering to kimono guy. He had a medium-sized katana with a bamboo handle out, and he was holding it in the perfect fighting stance. No way! Surprised, I yelled in joy. Kimono guy turned and looked at me. He sighed and placed his sword back. We watched as the other two bandits grab their friends and run for the hills. I grinned. Alright! I won my first fight!

"Good job, kimono guy! I didn't know you were a samurai." I put my knife away and grinned at him. He looked at me and frowned.

"I'm not a samurai! I just like swords."

"Whatever suits your fancy!" I picked up my bags and looked at him anew. This guy's annoying and frustrating, but he did help me out. A sudden idea popped in my head. "Hey! You should come to Yuniti High with me!" He said nothing and continued to look at me. This would be a lot easier if I could see his face. "Come on, it'll be fun! We'll train to become ninja together. Also, it offers boarding! You won't have to live with that weird master of yours anymore. You'll be free!" I saw him flinch and bite his lip.

"You're wrong." Huh?

"What?" He sighed.

"You've misunderstood. I don't have any creepy or demoralizing relationship with that guy. He just promised me power, and I took it. But, you may be right. He hasn't returned for 2 years now, and I've grown restless. Hmph. If... If I go to that school, will I become the strongest?" I thought about what he said. He needs power but why? I should probably ask, but I really want him to come with me.

"No. You won't." I paused. "Unless you become stronger than me! I'm aiming to become the strongest ninja around! I'll prove that everyone there is. Even you." He said nothing for a moment, and then a smirk found its way onto his face.

"Alright then. Let's go." Kimono guy walked past me and headed into the forest. Wait? Really!? Now? Awesome! I jogged to catch up with him and looked around. It was getting dark, and the trees were looking scarier by the second. We continued walking in a general straight line. As we walked, I spotted something about his clothing and almost laughed. Hehehe! Stuuuupid~!

"You don't need anything?" He turned and looked at me as we walked. "You know, like clothes or anything."

"No. My mas-that man never gave me any. I only have the clothes on my back and my kimonos at home. I don't need them. Why?" I hummed to myself a little. This might be awkward. And funny.

"Well...it's just. You have bloodstains on your kimono." He stopped walking and inspected his sleeves.

"Where?" I bite my lip and felt my face growing red. Too weak to hold it in anymore, I bursted out laughing and pointing at him.

"Your b-bottom! You have blood dotting the seat of your pants!" There was blood on the seat of his kimono. It must of found its way there when he put away his bamboo sword. It looked like he had his, well, you know. I started to gain control of myself and tried to apologize but got cut off.

"Clothes. Now." Hehehe! Grinning, I pulled out a pair of black pants and a white shirt. Since it's cold, I also threw in a blue jacket. He grabbed the clothes and placed them on the ground. Then, he looked at me. "You're just gonna stare at me?"

"What? We're both guys."

"I know, but you should keep look out, moron. If someone comes at us, I'll be defenseless. Now, go." I huffed and walked a little ways away. The forest was definitely getting darker. How long until we reach the school? I went into my backpack and pulled out two flashlights. One was a spare I kept. "Hey, you got any room for my clothes." I turned around. Kimono boy finally took his hat off! He was pale, just like I thought. He had raven black hair that was chopped off sharply and stuck up in the back. His black bangs framed his pale face and his black eyes. He looked like a normal teen.

"Wow. Kimono boy, you really do have a face!" He narrowed his eyes at me and stuffed his clothes in my bag himself.

"You can't keep calling me that when I'm not wearing it anymore."

"Okay. What's your name then?"

"Sasuke Uchiha. You?"

"Naruto Uzumaki!" I gave him a bag to carry and offered him a flashlight. "Getting kind of dark. Want one?"

"Sure." He took the bag and flashlight. After flicking them one, we began walking again. "Say. How old are you?"

"Just turned 16. You?"

"Same."

"Then, we'll be in the same grade at the school! I'll definitely beat you!" He scoffed.

"Yeah, right, moron." Grrrrrr! "But, I will admit something: you were pretty good." I looked at him.

"Really!? Haha! Alright!" I jumped in joy. Now, I have someone who thinks I'm strong. That's one step closer to my goal.

"Shut up, idiot! Don't make too much noise!"

"Huh? But, there's no one out here."

"Well, there could..." Sasuke paused and his mouth flew open. "Whoa." I looked in the same direction and saw it. A tall, wooden gate that stood not too far from us. It shone imperiously in the light of our flashlights. We exchanged looks and headed closer. There was a sign attached to the gate; it read "Yuniti High School"! My jaw dropped. We did it!

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Do you see that!? We made it!" Sasuke remained silent and looked at the gate. I ran up to the opening of the gate and tried to knock it.

"Naruto! Wait!" I stopped just short and looked back at Sasuke.

"What!?"

"Look at the ground." I stared at the ground and saw nothing at first. When I got closer, I saw what looked like a thin, metal line shining in my flashlight's glow. Geh!? A boobytrap!? But, why!? "This is a "ninja school" after all. No way would they let some random idiot knock on their front door." Ignoring the "idiot comment", I looked around the gate and saw nothing else. I came this far to be stopped by a piece of string!? Not happening!

"Hey! Anybody in there!?" I yelled up at the gate and turned back to Sasuke. He shrugged, so I tried again. "HEY! Let us in! We want to enroll here!" Still no response. I growled and screamed at the stop of my lungs. "LET ME IN, DAMMIT! I WANNA BECOME THE WORLD'S STRONGEST NINJAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Shut up already! I heard you!" I jumped back and hit Sasuke. He pushed me aside and looked around. Who said that!? Then, we heard a creak. Our heads snapped towards the gate as it slowly opened. A snapping sound went off, and the boobytrap string disappeared. A figure appeared from behind the gate. "You two want to become ninja?" I glanced at Sasuke, who didn't look so hot either. He nodded, and I did too. "Answer me with your mouths!"

"W-We want to become ninja!" The figure stepped closer to us. He was dressed in gray robe and had sandals with socks on. His hair was a whitish-gray and whipped up in a choppy style. His entire face was covered in some sort of mask, and his right eye had a patch on it. His left was a sharp black. He went in some pocket and pulled out a book.

"Well, that's good, I guess. I'm Kakashi, the principal."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: You Can Call Me Sensei

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I stared at Kakashi for a few seconds. He looked like regular guy. He was just a little taller than me and Sasuke; he didn't look that bigger than us either. He also looked pretty laid back. He didn't seem serious looking, and his left eye looked kind of lazy. Except for his right eye having a patch on it, he really did seem like your average guy. Is he _really _a ninja?

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover." I jumped and looked at him. I pointed to myself. "Yes, you. I know you're critiquing me. It shows off on your idiotic face." Hey! My face isn't idiotic! Before I could retort, a cool hand slid against my mouth.

"Sorry, this idiot does tend to do, say, and think simple-minded things." Hey! Why's Sasuke against me too!? Kakashi turned and walked back into the high school. We quickly followed and watched the gate close. Turning, I eyed everything there was to see about Yuniti High School. My jaw dropped.

The entire campus was made from stone and wood. The biggest building was a huge stone dome with circle windows here and there. There were these covered walkways made from wood that traveled from the biggest building to six other buildings. They were weren't as big, but they were still huge. There were other buildings branching from those and small areas to lounge on the campus. There were oriental street lamps that illuminated the entire campus. Going deeper into the place, you can see places to train and practice.

It was all so amazing.

But, it was so not amazing too!

All the buildings looked abandoned. The stone walls were a faded color, and the wood was either rotten or broken in places. Weeds grew through every crack you could see, and some of the lamps didn't even turn on. Others flickered on and off constantly. It was a total dump!

"I see that look on your face again." I turned to Kakashi, who only sighed. "Come with me. I'll explain." We all walked towards the largest building. The wooden door was really big and looked really strong. When we were inside Kakashi directed us to the side and to a lounging area. I looked back at the center of the room. There was another big door with locks on it. Where does that lead? Sasuke sat on and couch, so I did too. We placed our stuff on the sides and got comfortable. Kakashi sat on the couch across from us and placed his book in front of him. What's up with the book!? "Where should I begin?" Sasuke beat me to the punch.

"You can start by explaining why this place looks like a complete wreck." Gosh, he's nice, but I probably couldn't say better.

"You boys know of the Harō, correct?" We nodded. "Well, it starts with that. I'm sure you know how it started."

"Everyone does, duh!" I cut in and started to explain. At least I know this much. "The Harō was made to stop all wars. We had too many back then, so our great leaders made the Harō to stop them. Thanks to the help of ninja, of course!" Kakashi nodded and flipped a page in his book.

"I'm surprised someone of your generation knew ninja helped establish the Harō. You're correct." I beamed a little. "But, you're also _not _correct." I frowned. "The Harō had _another_ purpose besides stopping war. Any of you know?" Huh? I looked at Sasuke. He shook his head, so we looked back at Kakashi. He paused and turned a page in his book. "It's other purpose was to make ninja unnecessary." I jumped from my seat.

"What!?" I can't believe that! Why would that happen!? "But-But why!?" Kakashi looked closely at a page in his book.

"To stop war, of course. That was their reason. No ninja means no war, or at least, that's what they wanted you to think."

"They? Who is "they"?" Sasuke asked.

"Back then, the leaders of our land, the founders of the Harō were ninja. They wanted to create peace and structure, but something happened. I'm not quite sure on the details myself, but they all lost political power. Soon, these new leaders rose up and took over. They took credit for making the Harō and were the false gems of the public eye. Tell me, who is the leader, the Hokage, of the Leaf Village?"

"Danzo," I answered. A look of disgust crossed my face. Saying his name made me want to puke. "He's all smiles and claims war and fighting is wrong. I hate him. He looks so fake, and it makes me mad."

"He too is one of them. Taking the credit for the Harō after all these years and making ninja look like the cause instead of the solution. It also makes ninja look like laughingstocks, so as you can see, the school remains abandoned." A growl rippled through my throat, and Kakashi looked at me.

"Sorry. It's just as I said. I hate him so much." Sasuke had been sitting quiet before but began speaking again.

"So, what your saying is that that this school is abandoned because our corrupt political leaders abused the power of the Harō and made ninja not needed anymore?" Kakashi nodded. A look of pure disgust crossed Sasuke's usually neutral face. "Those assholes." I looked at Kakahsi, who was siting calm and quiet.

"Why'd you stay, Kakashi?" He looked up at me. "Why'd you stay here?" He stared at me for couple seconds with his one eye before speaking.

"I swore my loyalty to being a ninja. I wanted to teach future generations the way of the shinobi and prided myself in doing just so. Besides, I made a promise to someone. I can't just leave. Not yet." I stared at Kakashi in complete admiration. Even after the Harō destroyed all his hopes and dreams, he stayed here to teach the future generation. I clenched my fists.

"I'll do it then!" I placed my hand to my chest and looked Kakashi in the eye. "I'll help you! We'll turn this school into the best ninja school in all the lands, and everyone will want to come here! Count on that!" Kakashi looked up at me before returning to his book.

"Wow. You really _do _say things without thinking." I flinched. Geh, why does love putting me down so much!? Sasuke agreed and stood up too.

"Told you so." I moaned. Not him too! I started bickering with Sasuke while Kakashi stood up.

"Alright, you too. That's enough." We stopped and looked at him. "Anyway, what are your names?" I said mine before Sasuke.

"Naruto Uzumaki!" Kakashi narrowed his left eye.

"When you take out the "Uzu-", your name is literally "narutomaki". Your name is literally a type of fish cake. Unbelievable." I hung my head. Why did he have to mention that? I tried avoiding that so hard when I was younger. He turned to Sasuke. "You have a more appealing name, I hope."

"Sasuke Uchiha." I picked up my head and saw Kakashi's eye widen.

"Uchiha?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kakashi.

"Problem?" They stared at each other for a few moments. Um, what's going on? What's wrong with Sasuke's name? Kakashi sighed, and his lazy look returned.

"I only hope not. Well then, follow me." Kakashi walked towards the center of the room. I began to follow and looked back at Sasuke.

"Are you okay?" He stared at Kakashi's back before budging. He walked past me and muttered.

"I'm fine." I frowned as he walked past me. His back looked tense, and he walked stiffly. What's going on? Is Sasuke's name that strange? "Naruto! Hurry up!" I jumped and dashed towards them. We were in front of the large door with locks. Kakashi placed his palm against the wood. A clicked sounded, and all the locks undid themselves one by one. I gaped. How did he do that!? Was that some ninja trick!? Before I could ask, the door creeped open, and a long, dark hallway appeared. We walked through the darkness. A banging noise rang behind me, and I looked back to see the door was closed. The hallway went on for a while until I saw light at the end. Quickly, I ran ahead into the light. I was blinded for a moment and looked around. No way.

We were in an arena. It was a circular battlefield. The walls were tall and made from concrete. At the top, there was a seating area for people to come and watch, and there was a circular overhang to provide shade for them. There was everything in the battlefield. The ground was a cool, earth, and there was a small pond in one section. There were patches of grass everywhere and a handful of trees too. I walked to the very center and looked up. The arena had no roof; it was just a giant skylight. The moon stood in the very middle of the sky, illuminating everything. Taking everything in, I looked back at Kakashi and Sasuke entering. Sasuke's eyes widened as he wandered farther in and looked at everything.

"Welcome to the Yuniti Arena," Kakashi explained. "This is where students would have major battling exams and fights. Winning these fights were important in maintaining not only your grade but your status here. It used to be such a big event." Kakashi walked away from Sasuke and me. We exchanged looks. What's going on?

"Kakashi." Sasuke spoke out at him. He turned around and faced us again. "Why are we here?" Kakashi put away his book.

"To fight me, of course." I gaped at him.

"W-Wait! For real!? You want us to fight you!?" Kakashi turned to me and nodded.

"That's correct. If you and Sasuke can show me some true strength, I'll consider teaching you." I smirked and cracked my knuckles.

"Alright then! Let's do this!" There's no way I'm gonna back down. My future to become Hokage is riding on this! I'll take whatever he gives us! I turned to Sasuke, and he nodded. We spread ourselves on opposite sides of Kakashi and braced ourselves. Kakashi only stood there. I leapt forward but was held back. What? A arm wrapped around my neck, and the sharp-feeling of a knife touched my back. Kakashi sighed.

"I didn't say "go" yet." Sasuke gave me a tired look while Kakashi held on to me. "Okay? Go!" Reaching into my back pocket, I quickly brought out my knife and swung behind me, but Kakashi was gone. Cursing, I looked around and spotted him standing near the pond area. Sasuke leapt forward and dashed at him. He swiftly brought out his sword and slashed the area near Kakashi. Kakashi dodged, and while in midair, he tossed out small, four-star tipped shuriken. Sasuke looked up too late and only dodged a few. The rest shredded his right jacket arm. He clutched his arm in pain.

"Sasuke!" Sasuke looked at me.

"I'm fine! You go try and get him!" He sounded okay, so I nodded. I ran ahead and caught a few shuriken that fell on the ground. I slid them in my jacket pocket and chased after Kakashi. For an old guy, he sure moved fast. He was leaping from tree to tree, mocking us. My breath hitched, and the feeling of tiredness filled my legs. I could feel the sweat sticking my back to my shirt. So, this is what exhaustion feels like. I stopped to catch my breath. Kakashi looked over at me from a tree on the right side of the arena.

"Tired? Want to quit? I find that fine. Running around helpless while your comrade is down is exhausting." I looked back at Sasuke. He was on one knee, huffing, clenching his arm. A look or sheer pain was etched in his face. "Since it was his dominant arm, a wound like that will hurt for a while, especially for a sword-wielder like him." I grounded my teeth. "So, I'll ask again, want to quit?" I looked at the ground and clenched my fist.

"No way! I will never quit! Becoming a ninja is everything to me. There's no way I'll give up my dream!" On that last part, I jumped up and threw the shuriken. They spun out of my hand and whirled towards Kakashi. He leapt out of the way easily, giving me a bored look. I smirked. Here it comes! "Go, Sasuke!" Kakashi's left eye widened, and when he when to look behind him, it was too late. Sasuke had already jumped behind him and aimed his sword at the back of Kakashi's neck. It turns out that Sasuke can use his right _and _his left hand to battle. I quickly dashed forward and placed my knife at the base of Kakashi's neck. "Well, how about that! Still think I'm gonna quit!?" Kakashi looked into my eyes and sighed. Suddenly, a popping sound rang and smoke filled the air. W-What!? Did he just explode!? When the smoke cleared, I saw Sasuke and looked down onto what we were aiming our weapons at.

It was a log. We were aiming our weapons at a log. It was fairly big and stood at a right height to meet our blades. The words "I am Kakashi." were were written on a piece of paper attached to it. My jaw dropped. What the hell!? Quickly, I turned around and saw Kakashi strolling towards the exit. This can't be right! I've read about this before... It's called something.

"Sub-Substitution Jutsu!?" I guessed. Kakashi looked back and nodded. What!? That's cheap! How dare he! Substitution Jutsu is some type of ninja trick where you switch your body with something else. I can't believe he did that though! "Hey! Where are you going!?" Kakashi took out his book and was reading again. What's with the damn book!?

"I'm going to clean up around the school. Need to get ready for teaching again." I blinked. Wait. Does this mean what I think it means!? Kakashi looked up at me. "Oh, and from now on, you can call me sensei."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Ninja Students Wanted

* * *

The heat seemed to grow as I trudged across the dirt road. Sweat collected in my hair and under my arms. My breath was coming out short and dry. I can't do it anymore... Defeated, I collapsed onto the ground. Hot dust swirled around my head, and the scorching ground burned my skin. My senses seemed to numb one by one. This is how it ends, huh? Well, I tried, but in the long run, my efforts were wasted. I closed my eyes and succumbed to the forces against me.

"HEY! DON'T DIE IN FRONT OF MY SHOP, DAMMIT! GET YOUR BLONDE ASS OUT OF HERE, KID!" Damn shopkeeper. I looked up at the burly man and groaned. "GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!" Picking myself up, I continued to walk down the hot streets of the town.

Here's the gist: I'm currently looking for students to enroll in the school with Sasuke and me. Kakashi agreed to teach us and reopen the school, but we have to help around. Sasuke volunteered to help clean up the campus. Pretty dumb if you ask me. How's he gonna clean that whole place up? Whatever. Not my problem. I got stuck with finding more students to enroll. It was a better choice, but this is turning out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be.

There's this town that is about 15 miles east of the school and the forest surrounding it. It seems to still be in Leaf Village territory, so I'm finding a lot of pro-Danzo jerks. No one wants to enroll. Actually, there's no one to enroll. The town is made of of a bunch of middle-aged geezers and grannies. It's getting on my nerves! Plus, it is too hot out here! The ground is fuming, and I'm about to pass out. I wiped sweat off my face once again and continued on. All I see are boring shops and houses. I need a miracle! I need somebody!

Suddenly, my body jolted and fell back. The ground slammed into my back hard. What just hit me? Groaning and coughing, I looked through the dust in my eyes and saw her. She had short, light pink hair that framed her heart-shaped face. Her bright, teal eyes seemed to pop out from her smooth face. She wore a simple, carmine-colored dress.

To be short, she was smoking!

"I-I'm sorry about that!" I quickly jumped to my feet and extended my hand. "Wasn't looking where I was going!" I can't believe I bumped into a good-looking girl like her! Plus, she looks like she's a teenager! Score! She can enroll in the school, and maybe I can win a date with her too...

"I-It's fine! I wasn't watching myself either." She gave me a heart-breaking smile and took my hand. Wow. Her voice is so sweet. Getting over how nice her hand felt, I helped her up.

"Hehe! Guess we're both to blame!" I rubbed the back of my head and grinned. "Oh! Uh, I'm Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki! What's your name?" I stuck out my hand, and she took it.

"Sakura Haruno." Gosh, even her _name _is cute! Sakura. She's so perfect!

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sakura!" I don't sound like a dork, right? I hope not. That's a major turn-off. I probably look and smell bad too. I've been rolling around in this stupid town's dirt for too long. I'm also sweating. This is not my day.

Wait. What was I here for again? I crossed my arms, closed my eyes, and tried wracking my brain to remember. I...don't really remember. Nope. It's all a blank. Is my attention-span THAT short? Huh.

"Um, are you okay?" Sakura's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah. I'm good. Why?" She gave me a funny look.

"You just have a weird look on your face." Yep. That's how you get a girl, gents. You look like a complete moron in the middle of the streets. Works every time.

"O-Oh. Uh, sorry. I'm just trying to remember why I'm in this town again. I know it has something to do with you though." Sakura blinked and pointed to herself.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you! I need to ask you about enroll-" I stopped myself and smacked my head. Way to go, Uzumaki! "I remembered. Sakura, do want to enroll in my high school?" She cocked one of her pretty pink eyebrows at me.

"I'm already enrolled in one."

"I know, well, I really don't _know_, but you know, well, whatever! Listen! My high school is special."

"Special how?"

"It is going to be the best one of them all! Yuniti High School is the best school there is. It offers a place for students to dorm, and you can get jobs too. It's going to be full of excitement and adventure. We just need more students to enroll. I promise you; it is going to be the best ninja school in history!" I huffed and beamed with confidence. This should work! Sakura had a blank look on her face.

"Ninja school? Did you just say "ninja school"?" I blinked, but my smile still remained.

"Yeah. Why?" Then, she laughed. I felt my smile fall. Her beautiful cheeks turned bright red as she laughed at me and my school. Well, that's harsh.

"A ninja school!? You must be kidding me! No way would I join such a place!" I placed my hands by my sides. Her laugh is kind of cute. Kind of.

"Why not? It's a great place! What? You don't believe in the power of ninja?"

"I don't believe in the power of useless people. Ninja are _so_ overrated! Why would I waste my time at a stupid ninja school?" I felt my face contort to an uncertain look.

"You don't honestly believe peace will last in this land forever, do you?" If she does, boy, do _I_ feel bad for _her_. Sakura gave me a mean look. Her face. It's not as pretty as before.

"Of course I do! That's what Lord Danzo has been saying." I moaned and shook my head. She's a Danzo believer. Just my luck.

"Sakura, Danzo is like a broken record! All he talks about is eternal peace with no effort or support."

"Which has been happening as far as I know!" Only a few people passed us by, so I had no reason to hold back.

"Ninja are needed! What do you think gonna happen when this whole "eternal peace" thing doesn't work out? Without ninja, how will we control and maintain peace!?"

"Ninja are not needed, Naruto! They're the ones who caused war. Lord Danzo and the other leaders of the land stopped them, and we have peace now!" I blinked. Does she seriously believe that!? I can't believe this is what people think. If only they knew the truth, then they would think differently. I could tell them, but Kakashi made me promise not to. _"Some people aren't ready to accept something like that as the truth, Naruto. They're to blinded by happiness to see otherwise."_ It disgusts me to think that Danzo has hypnotized everyone to believe lies like this. Not only does it make it hard for me to find students, but ninja will never be honored like this. I sighed.

"Sakura?" She narrowed her eyes at me.

"What?"

"I am sorry." Her eyes widened as she looked at me. "I am sorry you will never learn the truth. I am sorry that you are forever blinded by lies. I am sorry that you will continue to live in false happiness for the rest of your life. I am sorry that one day your life will change. I am sorry that one day you will learn the truth, and it may be too late. But, Sakura, I am not sorry for doing what I believe. I am not sorry for choosing the path of the ninja." I stared into her eyes at the end. She shivered but narrowed her eyes back.

"Out of my way." She pushed past me. I looked back at her. She only moved a little before turning back at me. A cold look was engraved in her face. "Have fun at your ninja school, loser." she spat. She turned and left for good. Another sigh passed through my lips.

That girl was like the devil reborn. Not only does she have a mean character, but she's totally two-faced! Why must such a pretty face hide a mean spirit? I feel like I got cheated or something. I continued my walk. I don't feel too down. Sure, a pretty girl turned me down, but I can't let that stop me! I need to find students somehow. I looked over and saw a small park. I went over and sat down on a stone bench under a shady tree. I wiped sweat off my forehead again and flicked it off my hand.

"Geez! This heat is killing me!" Who would live in a town like this!? It must be nice on other days, but days like these aren't worth it. I was about to lay down and rest until I noticed something else was on the bench next to me. To my left, there was a small, white towel neatly folded with an unopened water bottle on top of it. I looked left and right, but I saw no one else in the area. There were only a few kids playing out in the field far away from here. Strange. Who does this belong to? I picked up the water bottle. It was still icy cold, so it must of only been put here a short while ago. I placed it down and picked up the towel next. It was cool and completely damp. I sniffed it. Smells like water. I'm serious now. Who put this stuff here!?

I got up and looked around again. No one was coming to claim this stuff. The breeze picked up behind me, and a nice scent filled my nose. Lavender. I looked behind me, but I only saw the tree. Hm. My ninja senses are telling me there's someone behind this tree. Quickly, I dashed up the tree, jumped up, and landed behind it. I stood face to face with another girl. She had midnight blue hair chopped short at her forehead with two long pieces on the sides, but it was longer in the back. She had smooth, fair skin with mysteriously white, purple-tainted eyes. A large white jacket and navy blue pants covered her body. I scratched my head.

"Eh? Are you the one who left that water and wet towel on the bench?" She looked really surprised to see me. Then, her face grew really red. "Are you okay?" Does she have a fever? Her face growing so red is kind of abnormal. "Hey! Hold on!" I grabbed her hand and ran back around the tree. Placing her on the stone bench, I grabbed the wet towel and placed it against her head. "You shouldn't be wearing such a large jacket anyways. You'll pass out." She blinked and nodded.

"Th-Thank you." She had a really soft voice. I barely heard her. I smiled anyway.

"No problem! So, did you really leave this stuff here?" She nodded again. "Why?" Suddenly, she grew really red again. Huh? She started stammering something that was either "Kung Fu" or "For you". I'm guessing it was the latter. "Really? Well, thanks! I was really hot. You're a life saver!" I opened the water bottle and gulped some water down. Ah! Sweet relief! I smiled at the girl again, and she smiled a little back. She's kind of weird, but she's a nice person. "So, what's your name? I'm Naruto." She fiddled with her fingers before answering.

"Hinata."

"Okay then, it's nice to meet you Hinata!"

"Y-You too, Naruto." She's not that bad. She's better than a certain _other _girl I met. Wait. This is my chance! I leaned a bit closer to her.

"Hinata!" She jumped back a bit, and I instantly felt like smacking myself. "Oh. My bad! I tend to get excited quickly." I rubbed the back of my neck.

"N-No! It's fine. I was just shocked. Continue please!" She was still stammering a little but looked calmer than before.

"Okay then! I just wanted to ask something. Are you enrolled in a school?" She paused for a moment and shook her head.

"There's no need for me to go to one. Why do you ask?" What does she mean by "no need"?

"I was wondering if you wanted to enroll in my school. It's called Yuniti High School. It's a really nice place. There's going to be so much action and adventure when it's up and running again. You can board at the school and find jobs there too." She looked a little doubtful for some reason. I clenched my fist. "Please come, Hinata." She stared at me, and I stared back. "Everyone needs an education, and everyone deserves a future." Hinata's eyes shot to the ground.

"B-But, someone like me..." Huh?

"Someone like you? What about you?"

"I-I don't always have the strength to believe in myself. I always make mistakes, and people always look down on me." Her voice started to quiver, and she looked like she was about to cry. "Someone like me has no purpose." I jumped up from my seat. I will not hear this from her.

"Which is why you will make the perfect ninja!" Hinata blinked up at me.

"N-Ninja?" Oh. Did I forget to mention that part?

"Yes, ninja! Yuniti is a ninja school! If you go there, you will find a purpose. You will gain the power to protect yourself and other people. You _will _gain the confidence you need. I know it! Come with me, Hinata! Please." A couple moments passed as she looked at me. Hinata lowered her head and stood up. My insides clenched. I wasn't able to convince her.

"Okay." I blinked and looked at Hinata. Her eyes seemed glow with a new light in them.

"Huh? Wait! You mean it!?" She nodded.

"Yes. My family might not approve, so I won't tell them about the ninja part, but I say yes! I will come with you to become a ninja, Naruto!" She smiled at me. It was a kind and gentle one. I couldn't help my own from finding its way on my lips.

"Alright! Just go grab your things and meet me at this town's east entrance by dawn. We'll travel to the school from there. Oh, wear some good shoes. It's a little bit of a walk." She nodded again and dashed away. Watching her run so happily made me feel a thousand times better. I jumped into the air and cheered.

"Alright! I'm getting work done!"

"Yes, it seems like that." I froze. Who said that? I turned around and was faced by a boy. His skin was whiter than a sheet of paper, and he had emotionless black eyes and short, black hair. He wore black shorts and a black sleeveless jacket with a black backpack. He closed his eyes and gave me a fake-looking smile. "Hello."

"Uh, hello?" What's with this guy? "Problem?"

"No, no problem at all. I'm just thinking about how well you tricked that girl." Huh!?

"Trick!? I didn't trick her! I was telling her the truth!" He opened his eyes and looked a little surprised.

"Really? So, there really is a ninja school still around?"

"Yeah! What of it!?" He took out a small notebook and case. Popping the case open, he took out a pencil and started doodling in the notebook. What's with that?

"Nothing really. I was just wondering." Grr! This guy is starting to piss me off! What's with the calm and uncaring attitude!? He almost reminds me of Sasuke.

"Whatever! You're really annoying, you know that!?" He looked up from his notebook and gave me another phony smile.

"That's fine. I personally hate people like you." HUH!? We just met! Why that little...! I felt my face grow hot and clenched my teeth together.

"Who are you anyway!?" He looked me in the eye and showed me his notebook page. It was a detailed drawing of a little boy under an umbrella. It was raining all around him, and he looked very depressed. It was a great drawing with a sad meaning.

"I am an artist." When you look closer, the boy in the drawing almost looks like guy in front of me. "But, you can address me as Sai." Sai. I wonder if that drawing is his true feelings? I breathed in and let the air out slowly. I better not regret this.

"Sai?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want to join my school?" Sai blinked and put his drawing down.

"Why?"

"If you come there, you won't be sad or lonely. You'll make friends and many memories. Everyone has the talent to become a ninja. Those who want power, those who lack confidence, and those who are lonely are always welcome! Trust me." Sai looked speechless and looked down at his own drawing.

""Loneliness"? So, that is what I've been feeling." He waited a while before he smiled at me again. It wasn't completely genuine, but it was starting to be. "Okay then. I'll come. I'll be at the east entrance by dawn. Good bye for now, Naruto." With that, he dashed away and vanished from view. He's a mysterious guy, but none the less, he wants to become a ninja too, so I'm okay with it.

I headed back to the east entrance of the town. I didn't encounter Sakura on the way, so I made it in peace. After a couple hours of waiting, dawn came and Sai came strolling down towards me. I got up from my seat and greeted him just as Hinata came jogging towards us with a couple bags of hers. After introducing them to each other, I took some of Hinata's things and lead my soon to be fellow peers and comrades to our school.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: An Unexpected Visitor

* * *

I pledge, on this very day, to never underestimate Sasuke Uchiha ever again. He is a force beyond nature. I don't know how he did it. Currently, I've brought back Hinata and Sai to Yuniti. It was about 10 PM, so we made pretty good time. The closer we got to the school, the more I felt bad. Yuniti was a huge dump the moment I left. Sasuke said he would clean it, and I totally didn't believe him.

Now, I don't know what to believe.

All the the stone buildings were a bright white. All the wooden parts and areas were replaced with sparkling oak. The weeds were gone along with their cracks, and the pathways were clear. The street lamps all glowed perfectly, illuminating the whole campus. The practice areas and the lounging areas looked cleaner too. To top it off, there were two dear laying in the grass with their sleeping baby fawn.

"N-Naruto?" Hinata got in my line of sight with a worried look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"He looks dumbfounded for some reason." Sai said. Of course I'm dumbfounded! How did Sasuke do this!? Sure, he had the whole day, but this should be impossible! I glanced to my left and saw Kakashi walk up and survey the scene. His face may be covered, but you could clearly see the surprise in his left eye. He took one look at the deer family and shook his head. I'm so with you there, Kakashi. Sasuke came out from one of the buildings and headed our way. He wore a blue bandana in his hair to keep his bangs out of his face and had his ripped jacket tied around his waist. His right arm had a bandage wrapped around it.

"Welcome back, moron. You found some new students?" I didn't answer his question as I walked up to him and just gestured to the campus. "What? You don't like how it looks?" I slowly shook my head.

"How?" He gave me confused look. "How did you get it look like this?"

"I cleaned it. You know, it's the process where you get rid of the dirty stuff and make everything look nice." Now he's talking to me like I'm 2!

"Dude! It wasn't like this when I left! It is waaaaaaay too clean! There's even freaking Bambi over there! How did you do all this!?" A thoughtful look crossed his face before he answered. He beckoned me closer and whispered in my ear.

"Because I'm a ninja." Really? I pulled back and gave him a mild look while he smirked lightly.

"You're such a dork."

"Takes one to know one." Before I could launch back, someone cleared their throat behind me. I looked back at Kakashi, who gestured to the confused Hinata and Sai. Whoops! Forgot about them. I raced back and introduced them.

"This is Hinata and Sai. They'll be joining us as new students!" Hinata bowed politely while Sai bowed halfway. Sasuke walked up next to me and inspected the new students.

"Hinata." We all turned our heads towards Kakashi as he walked closer. "You're a Hyuga, am I correct?" Huh? What's a Hyuga? Sounds funny. Hinata looked shocked but nodded. "Hm. That's interesting. By your face, I can guess you don't know what a Hyuga is, Naruto." I jumped. Gah, why is it always me!? Kakashi sighed. "Ah, I'll just let Sasuke explain." Looking back at Sasuke, he was staring intensely at Hinata. Hey! Don't stare at her! I gave him a harsh nudge, and he glared at me before speaking.

"The Hyuga are a noble clan of prominent people. They are quite wealthy and have high standards and statuses in society. Known as one of the noble clans in the Leaf Village, they possess a powerful ability. It is called the "Byakugan" or the "All Seeing White Eye". With it, they can see everything around them without even looking. Also, they can see through solid objects and have certain range of telescopic scope. They can also see the chakra circulating within our bodies and use that to their advantage during battle." Sasuke looked levelly at Hinata. Her eyes were downcast. "A feared dōjutsu indeed." Kakashi spoke up.

"He is correct. It _was _quite feared." I blinked. It's not anymore? "Ninja aren't needed anymore, so the Byakugan basically has no purpose anymore. The Hyuga clan still trains with it, I believe. They practice many forms of martial arts and are known for being academic scholars. They are strong in both body and mind. True warriors indeed." Kakaski paused and opened his book. "Just like the Uchiha clan were." Wait. Huh!? Uchiha!? But, that's Sasuke's last name! I looked back at Sasuke with wide eyes, but he continued to stare at Hinata. "They also had a powerful dōjutsu. Oh, for those of us who don't know what that is, Naruto, a dōjutsu is a type of kekkei genkai, or "ability inherited by bloodlines", that works through the eyes. Oh!" Kakashi's voice suddenly got cheery, and he looked happy for some reason. Well, he looked as happy you could look with your face whole face covered up. "Fun fact time! The Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan have been longstanding, natural enemies for over hundreds of years! All clan members hate the other clan members guts and have had many bloody spats and disagreements!" Eh?_  
_

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?

Hinata raised her eyes and looked at Sasuke. He continued to stare coldly at her. You could just feel the tension in the air. I don't get it. Why!? Why does this have to happen!? Hinata played with her fingers and looked at Sasuke some more.

"U-Um, you're an U-Uchiha?"

"Yes. _Problem?_" Yikes! He's pissed! What is with him!? Hinata shook her head quickly and began to stammer some more.

"N-No! I-I just thought the Uchiha clan was-"

"Was _what?_" Sasuke looked furious, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw his eyes flash red. I rubbed my eyes. Am I seeing things? Hinata looked like she was about to cry and lowered her head.

"N-Never mind. I'm sorry." That's it! I stepped in front of Hinata and glared at Sasuke.

"Hold up, Sasuke! This is ridiculous! Just because your clans had conflict in the past, doesn't mean you should have conflict now! You're both here to learn and grow stronger. You can accept Hinata as your rival, but you must accept her as your comrade as well! Got it?" Sasuke gave me a look and sighed.

"Fine. I wasn't planning on fighting her now anyways. I'll fight her when I'm ready."Ah. I sighed. Problem avoided. I looked behind me and gazed at Hinata. She looked surprised but smiled up at me gratefully. She stepped from behind me and stood next to me while addressing Sasuke.

"L-Let's be friends please!" She bowed quickly again, and Sasuke crossed his arms.

"Whatever. But, just so you know, I won't go easy on you because you're a shy, little Hyuga girl." Well, I wasn't really planning on doing the same, but he didn't have to say it like that. Such charm. Hinata blinked a couple times before answering.

"O-Oh. Okay then. D-Don't worry! I, uh, I won't go easy on you because of your _clan's condition _either." At the end, her white eyes narrowed slightly, and a tense look crossed her face. My mouth flew open, and my eyes bulged out in surprise. Hinata! Where'd that sudden courage come from!? Sasuke looked shocked too, for his eyes were widened as well. Suddenly, Hinata blinked again, and her white eyes reverted back to their large, innocent, doe-like shape. "Uh, I guess that's all I have to say." For some reason, she looked more shy than usual. "S-Sensei?" Kakashi quickly shook his head. He must have been surprised by Hinata's change of character too.

"Y-Yes, Hinata?"

"U-Um, I have nothing to do, so is it okay if I go feed the d-deer?" Kakashi nodded to Hinata's delight. "T-Thank you!" She grabbed something that looked like crackers from one of her bags and dashed off to the deer family. Kakashi watched her go and sighed.

"Ah, the young members of the Hyuga clan. They're all born to be strict and stern after all. She clearly has no backbone, but she seems to have just a bit of courage to at least defend her clan's pride. Wouldn't you agree, Sasuke?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes and looked away. I smiled at that. Already, it seems like Hinata is being able to stand up for herself. Well, it's just a little bit, but I knew she always had some of it in her!

Huh. But, what did she mean by the Uchiha clan's "condition"? Before I could even think on whether or not to ask Sasuke, Sai came up next to me and tapped my shoulder. His face was as blank as always as he showed me a drawing. It was a drawing of Sasuke, Hinata, Kakashi, and me standing right where we were currently. It showed me protecting Hinata from Sasuke's wrath, and in the drawing, Sasuke's eyes were definitely red. Strange, but it was very detailed again and looked professional. Sasuke snatched the drawing from my hand and studied it. His eyes narrowed, and he looked up at Sai. Sai gave him a blank stare.

"You don't like it?" Sai asked.

"I don't appreciate your interpretation of me. The art's fine though." He emotionlessly handed back the drawing to Sai, who took it without emotion as well. What's up with that? "You're Sai, correct?"

"Yes. I don't belong to a special clan like Hinata, so don't worry. I'm of no threat to you, Sasuke." He put away his drawing and took out another sheet of paper. "Now, if you excuse me, I think I'll go draw a picture of Hinata and the deer." He bowed and walked off towards Hinata. She was currently cuddling with the fawn while the parents sat next to her. I bet it will come out great.

"Well," Kakashi started, "I guess that's that. Oh Sasuke, you remind me a bit when I was your age." Kakashi sighed while gazing into the sky. "Where did the time go by?" It went the minute your hair turned white is what I think. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow before he turned to leave.

"I'll go show the new students around." With that, he left towards Hinata and Sai. I watched him go and turned to Kakashi. He closed his book.

"Need something?" I placed my hands in my pockets before speaking.

"Um, about the Uchiha clan..." I paused briefly and continued. "What happened to them?" Kakashi stared at me for a few moments before turning to leave.

"You should research that bit of history on your own, Naruto." Then, he left too. I scratched the back of my head. There sure are a lot of strange things going on. I just hope we can get through all this and open the school soon. A sigh blew out from my lips, and I walked after everyone else.

After Sai completed his picture of Hinata and the deer family, which turned out amazing like the rest, Kakashi said it was time for us all to rest, so Sasuke lead all of us students to the dorms. There were twelve dorms around campus; six for the guys, and six for the girls. One of the large buildings actually housed both the dorms for both genders, but there was a large partition separating the boys from the girls in the form of a large courtyard. They were pretty spacey for no reason if you ask me, but when the school opens and gets famous again, they'll be packed with students. We went to the dorms beyond an archway labeled "Land of Fire". I wonder if all the countries are able to have dorms here? After showing Hinata to her room in the girl's dorm, us guys went to the boy's.

There was only one problem: only two rooms were available to actually bunk in.

Turns out, Sasuke ran out of materials to fix the other rooms, and after we asked, Kakashi said it would be a waste for all of us to get our own room anyway. The rooms were made to have multiples of people in it. There was one bunk bed, one single bed, and a spare futon in a closet. But, I don't want to share a room now! After some debating and bickering, Sai decided we settle this by playing rock-paper-scissors. Coincidently, Sai won, so Sasuke and I were sharing a room. Just my luck. Stupid rock!

Since we're sharing clothes anyways, it only seems fair, but I still don't like it. I decided to sleep on the bottom of the bunk bed while Sasuke slept on the single bed. Right now, the lights are off, and Sasuke's sleeping. He doesn't snore, but I can hear his even breathing. The sound of water hitting the roof tells me that it's raining. I can't sleep for some reason.

It's strange. It feels like there's something outside. There's something drawing me out there. It's this strange feeling I have in the pit of my stomach and the back of my mind. There's something out there. I can feel it.

I moaned and sat up. I'll never fall asleep this way! I guess I'll check it out. I slid out of bed and eyed Sasuke. He was still sleeping. Getting up, I creeped out of the sleeping section and headed into the second part of our room. The first part of the room is our small sleeping area, and our closets are there too. The second part is a small living area with a half kitchen, a sofa and coffee table, and a bathroom. There's also a coat rack by the door. I slid my raincoat over my tank top and shorts and grabbed my sandals. After sliding them on, I grabbed my flashlight from the coffee table, took my umbrella, and slipped out the door.

The sound of rain was still pounding the roof as I walked towards the main staircase and descended. Opening the front door, I opened my umbrella and switched on my flashlight. It was pure black out here tonight. No moon or street lamps were here to guide me. I usually have pretty good night-vision, but the darkness of this forest is something else. I'm not used to it yet. I quickly sprinted across the campus. Good thing I'm getting faster when moving around though. When I reached the main gate, the feeling inside me grew stronger. What in the world? This is getting freaky.

Kakashi finally taught me how to open the gate without setting off any of the alarms, and when I did, I only opened it a bit. I poked half my body out along with my flashlight and waved it around. Something bright red caught my light. I gasped and dropped it. Oh! Why am I acting like such chicken!? I jumped outside and scrambled ahead to pick up my light. I heard the sound of someone breathing as I got further out. Ah! I don't like this! Quickly, I jumped up from the muddy ground and flashed it again and caught the figure.

"Ah!" We both cried out in unison. I blinked at the person in front of me. The rain pelted their body. Wait, it's a boy. He had spiky, auburn hair that clung to his head due to the cold rain. His skin was fair and slightly blue looking. He wore a maroon shirt with dark brown pants and a slim, gray belt around his waist. He had a strap and holster on his back along with some strange pot. No, wait, was it a gourd? He slowly opened his blank-ringed eyes and showed me his teal eyes. He also has no eyebrows.

The strangest part is that I felt like I was supposed to meet him.

We stared at each other in the pouring rain for a couple moments. I cautiously opened my mouth.

"Why are you here?" He looked like he was my age. He stared at me more before answering. His voice was a little gravely, but you could hear the youth in it.

"Something inside me told me to come here." Okay. This is way to freaky. I grinned lightly despite the mood and lowered my light to the ground.

"Funny. Something inside me told me to come out here." His eyes widened, and my smile dropped. Should I've told him that? It's weird. I feel like I can trust him for some odd reason.

"Who are you?"

"Naruto."

"Gaara." Gaara. I've never heard of him before. A sudden shiver rose through me, and I sneezed. Gah! I've been out here to long! I better get back inside. Rubbing my nose, I gazed at Gaara. He looked cold, wet, and alone. I can't just leave him here.

"Do you want to come inside?" Gaara looked at me and behind himself then back at me.

"I think so." I shrugged off my raincoat and handed it to him. He needs it more than me. He nodded in thanks and put it on. After closing the gate and putting the alarms back on, we walked across the campus under the umbrella together. As it turns out, we're also the same height, so we had no problems. A strange yet friendly silence hung over us while we walked back up to my room. I guess I'll tell Kakashi about Gaara tomorrow. After getting inside, I heard Sasuke still sound asleep and turned to Gaara.

"You must be soaking wet. Take off all your clothes. I'm sure any of mine will fit. You can take off your underwear too. I have an unopened pack of them you can use."

"Okay. Thank you."

"No problem." Honestly, I was soaking wet too, so I went in the bedroom and got clothes for us both. After getting them, I went back and found Gaara taking off his pants. He looked a bit thiner than me. How long had he been traveling? He looks kind of sick. I gave him tan t-shirt and brown sweatpants while I had a orange, long-sleeved shirt with black sweatpants. It's a good thing I packed a lot of clothes. We were just in the middle of changing when Sasuke came into the room.

"Naruto, what are do-" He saw Gaara and stopped just short. Gaara and I exchanged looks, and I looked back at Sasuke. He stared at us and then at the clothes at the ground. He cocked his head and looked back at me. "I'd ask if you were screwing around with your boyfriend, but he looks too good for a moron like you, so I'll just who he is." My jaw dropped. Did he just say that!?

"Huh!? No! Gaara's not my boyfriend! What would make you think-wait! Never mind! I don't need to know." And just yesterday, he commented on the things that ran through _my _head. Sasuke smirked at me with humor. Don't tell me he was playing with my head again. He's the worst. I shook my head while Gaara finished changing and approached Sasuke.

"My name is Gaara."

"Sasuke. So, what brings you to Yuniti High, Gaara? More importantly, why are you in our dorm room?" I cut in after putting on my shirt.

"I found Gaara outside the gate. I brought him in since it was pouring hard." Sasuke gave me a confused look.

"It's like 3 AM. What were you doing outside the gate this late at night, Naruto?" Uh oh. I wonder if I should tell him? No, I can't! It's between Gaara and me. Plus, Sasuke might find it weird. Ah man! What do I do!?

"I sent him a message." We both turned our heads to Gaara. He looked calm and collected. What does he mean by that?

"A message?" Sasuke questioned. "How?" That's when I felt it. I felt a strange, ticklish feeling touch my lower, right arm. I slid up my sleeve and saw them. Tiny particles were covering a part of it. Sasuke leaned closer to look as they assembled. The formed the words "Come to the gate please." on my skin. Oh, so _this _is what he meant. Sasuke touched them in curiosity.

"Sand? But, how?" We both looked at Gaara, who stood still despite being able to do this cool trick.

"I use an advanced nature kekkei genkai that involves magnetism. Basically, I use my chakra to control sand. It's a natural ability for me, but it's useless against water. Since it was beginning to rain, I made my sand move across the forest quickly to find someone. It found Naruto, and I followed. When I was at the gate, I gave Naruto this message, and he came for me." Gaara looked at me. He looked almost grateful. "Thank goodness too. I'm very weak and almost out of chakra."

"Wow. That's something else. Way to go, Naruto. You lead outsiders to our location perfectly." I flinched. He interpreted it like that!?

"Sasuke! Lay off! You just heard him, right? He can use chakra! He can join our school too." Gaara looked slightly confused.

"School? Is this that "Yuniti High" you said earlier?" Sasuke and I nodded.

"Yes, it is. We're a ninja school. Do you want to join, Gaara? Well, can you even join?" Gaara didn't speak for a few moments and looked down at his gourd. It was a large, tan gourd with cracks all over it and a cork on top. Strange black symbols were on it too.

"I kind of ran away from home, so I guess." Huh!?

"You ran away!?" I gazed at him. "Why?" Gaara looked at me levelly.

"I said "kind of". My whole family hates me. They won't miss me." Now that he was more dry, I noticed that the word "love" was etched into the upper rightpart of his forehead. His whole family hates him? That can't be true.

"I can believe that." Gaara and I looked at Sasuke. His face was blank as were his eyes. "Even a father can hate his own child." I clenched my fists.

"That's not true!" Sasuke blinked and looked at me. I stepped back and looked at both of them. "A father should _never _hate his child. If he does, he is no father. Gaara, even if you think your whole family hates you, which I think is totally not true since I know someone must love you, you have the people around you to give you compassion and care." A pained looked crossed his face.

"Idiot, what people? Everyone in my land hates me. They think I'm a freak because of my abilities. A monster."

"Then make them love you!" Gaara blinked.

"Make them...love me?"

"Yes! Show them you're not a monster. Show them where they're wrong. I was in your position too, believe it or not. I was the only kid at my orphanage that no one would play with. No one adopted me. I was so lonely." I huffed as the painful memories surfaced. It's been so long since I've thought of this. "The kids made fun of me. They stole my toys, forgot to leave me food to eat, and isolated me. The adults ignored me. It was really suffocating. Then, when I became a tween, I was a prankster. I thought that just having people see me was enough, but I was wrong. That's when I finally met someone. He was a nice guy and became my only friend at first. Then, I became friends with the orphanage director and the littler kids that lived there. People finally saw me. People finally cared." I smiled at Gaara. "Gaara, you're not alone. Trust me. I'm here for you now." Gaara stared at me for a couple moments. The air grew lighter with every passing moment.

"Thank you." I stared at him. "Thank you, Naruto." I scratched the back of my head and chuckled.

"It's no problem. You can just consider me your first friend!" Gaara actually broke out a small smile while Sasuke gave me a sad-looking stare.

"You carry a lot of baggage, huh, Uzumaki?"

"Heheh. Yeah, my bad." He shook his head and gave me a slight smile. It looked so sad on his face.

"No, it's fine. We all carry some. Trust me." I stared at Sasuke. Could this have to do with his clan? He turned to Gaara. "You can consider me your second friend if you want, Gaara." A grateful looked filled Gaara's eyes again.

"Thank you, Sasuke." Sasuke waved it off.

"It's whatever, really. By the way, you said you were hated across your whole land. Where are you from anyway?"

"I'm from the Land of the Wind. I lived in the Sand Village." Never heard of it.

"Really?" Sasuke looked surprised. "If I remember right, it's like a three day hike from there to here, right?"

"Just about. Yes." My jaw dropped. What!?

"Three days!? Geez, Gaara! What are you made of!? Steel!?" A slightly bemused looked filled Gaara's face.

"As a newly enrolled ninja student, I should let you know that the ninja of my land crossed our deserts many times in less that to war with the others." Oh, whoa. Sand ninja are tough cookies. Sasuke and Gaara shared a look and looked back at me. What? Was it something Gaara said?

Wait. Hold on! My jaw dropped. Did he say what I think he said!?

"And, yes, Naruto. I did say I'm enrolling here." I jumped up and cheered. Alright!

"Sorry, the idiot's a bit slow sometimes." Huh? Hey! Sasuke! "So, Gaara's sleeping with us?"

"Yeah! He can sleep on the top bunk if you want." Gaara face contorted at that. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry if sounds selfish, but can I maybe get the bottom?"

"Huh? Of course! But, why?"

"I like being closer to the ground. It makes me feel more secure. It's also my style of fighting in a way." Sasuke nodded at that.

"Makes sense. He may be from the Land of the Wind, but his sand probably works better on the ground. It's probably easier to use for him." I thought of that for a while before replying.

"Huh. Okay then! Come on, time to sleep!" I finally feel tired, and I just want to feel my bed again. After moving my blankets from the bottom to the top, we got Gaara blankets and called it a night. I climbed to the top and snuggled into my pillow. I heard Gaara get down into his and waited a while before looking. He was fast alseep. He must of passed out. Sasuke and I exchanged looks across our beds and shrugged together. He must of been really tired. I placed my head back down on my pillow. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Cops & Robbers With A Twist

* * *

"So, I see we have a new student today." Kakashi looked at Gaara while Sasuke and I ate. After finding Gaara last night, we all went to bed and tried to get as much sleep as possible. When morning came, we went over to Sai's room and introduced him to Gaara. The four of us went to the main building, the large building Sasuke and I slept in our very first night, and were greeted by Kakashi and breakfast. I stuffed another piece of toast in my mouth before introducing Gaara to a very calm Kakashi.

"I found him outside, stuff happened, yada, yada... But, yeah, he is a new student! His name is Gaara." Gaara bowed to Kakashi, who nodded back.

"I must be a really easy-going guy, huh? Not asking questions is dangerous, but I'll leave it like this for now, I guess." "Easy-going"? More like extremely lazy. I grabbed some juice and gave it to Gaara while Sai sketched in his book. "What are we drawing today, Sai?" Sai glanced up silently at Kakashi before turning his book around to face us. It was Gaara and me sitting on the couch. We were eating breakfast, but the difference was that we looked like cartoon characters. Our eyes and heads were bigger than our bodies, and we had this cute vibe going on around us.

"Amazing," Gaara stared at the cartoon,"You are really good."

"Thank you. I taught myself." Sai replied. Huh. If Sai's been as lonely as he implied, I would believe that. Being alone can make a person do all sorts of things. The sounds of footsteps caught my ears, and I turned to look behind me. Hinata came jogging into the main building. She was wearing a stormy blue overcoat and navy pants again. Huffing, she slowed down and plopped into the seat next to me. A bulky brown, leather book was clutched to her chest.

"Eh? Hinata, I didn't know you liked reading." She looked at me and grew tomato red. Huh? Again? She really will pass out one day from wearing such heavy coats. "Oh. By the way, this is our new student Gaara." I pointed to Gaara, and he nodded at Hinata. She quickly nodded back. "Gaara, this is Hinata." Sasuke spoke up.

"She's the only girl here for now, but we could assume she's the weakest of us. Well, unless she's been doing her special clan training." Hinata picked up some oranges and shook her head really fast.

"N-No! I haven't done any of that." Before I could explain to Gaara about Hinata and Sasuke's clans' histories, Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Since introductions are done, I believe it's time we planned a little game." I blinked. A game? Looking around, it was clear that everyone else was confused too. "Follow me." Getting up, we all followed Kakashi outside the main building. "You should all get ready. Put on some more athletic clothing and meet me outside the gate. I'll give you guys about thirty minutes." After saying that, he vanished from view. Well, this is something new. Quickly, we all dashed back to our rooms. I opened my closet and tossed out a bunch of my clothes.

"I'll be taking that." Sasuke grabbed a grey jacket and a white, long-sleeved shirt from the pile. I gave him a look.

"You're welcome then." He gave a sly smirk and began changing. I'm keeping my orange shirt, but I'll take a pair of brown shorts. I looked over at Gaara. "What do you want to wear?"

"Anything that's easy to move in, please. I feel like this "game" sensei was talking about will challenge our speed mostly." I handed Gaara brown cargo pants and cocked an eyebrow.

"What makes you say that?"

"The food he gave us." Huh? After putting on my pants, I scratched the back of my head, but Sasuke seemed to understand.

"I think I get what Gaara's saying. On the table, there were a lot of fruits, toast, dried dates, and nuts. You assume the dates and nuts are for the oatmeal we had, but you could actually eat them on their own. In fact, even the oatmeal was a dead-giveaway. All those foods are full of carbohydrates, which are good to fill up one before you go running." I crossed my arms and thought about it.

"So, he was feeding us _and _preparing us for the game?" Gaara placed his gourd on his back before replying.

"It seems so." I gazed at Gaara in amaze.

"Whoa! You're really sharp, huh, Gaara?" Gaara gave me a small smile. Sasuke grabbed his katana and strapped it to his back.

"We can compliment him on his genius later. Let's go. We should probably tell Sai and Hinata what's up." I jumped and grabbed some of the shuriken I got from our previous battle with Kakashi. Slipping them into my back pocket along with my knife, I barreled out the room after Sasuke and Gaara. We found Sai outside the dorm wearing a his sleeveless black jacket and shorts along with his backpack. After explaining Gaara's "running idea", we all headed to the girl's dorm to find Hinata walking out. She still wearing what we she wore at breakfast, and she was reading her book intensely. What's it about anyway? After explaining the gist, we all dashed and jumped across campus.

Looking around at everyone, a bright and happy feeling filled me. A bunch ninja students about to begin training with their sensei was what we were. This has been my dream for a long time. It's still in the beginning stage, but it's really happening.

My dream to become the greatest ninja leader, the Hokage, is starting to come true!

The gate was open when arrived, but Kakashi wasn't in sight. I looked around and spotted something on the floor. It was a note. I picked it up and read it aloud.

""Head to the northwest side of the school walls." Huh? Why there?" Sasuke looked over my shoulder and stared at the note.

"It's just more forest, but there must be something there. Why would he be so specific?" Sasuke turned to the others. "These trees are very large and easy to move on. Jumping from branch to branch is fine, but it's easy to get lost and lose sight. Be careful." He's right. Before we went to bed the first night, Kakahsi informed us on this and actually let us test it out. He also taught us something very cool. I stepped up to everyone and began explaining the best I could.

"Uh, well, the trick is to put chakra in your feet. It tests out your...chakra control? Yeah, that's it! Chakra control!" Sasuke gave me a rude look, and I narrowed my eyes back at him. "What? So, I kind of forgot. So sue me! Anyways, by putting the right amount of chakra in your feet, you can run up solid surfaces like trees. Here, I'll show you!" I faced a tree and ran at it. Focusing chakra into my feet, my right foot connected with the trunk and stuck. I darted up the tree and landed in a branch. I looked down at everyone and grinned.

"If you don't keep an even balance of chakra, you won't be able to run up it." Sasuke explained the rest to them. "Too much charka will knock you off the tree, but too little chakra will make you fall from the tree. According to Kakashi, this took a while for younger ninja to learn back then, but with Naruto and me here, this should take about ten minutes for you guys to learn." So, for the next ten minutes, we all trained on how to do tree climbing. Gaara and Sai cauught on quickly, but it took Hinata some time. She kept putting in too little chakra, but she learned it in the end.

"We should hurry up. We only have eleven minutes left." Sai informed. Everyone agreed, and we were off. Sasuke and Sai moved swiftly from tree to tree. Gaara moved quick too, but he moved at a steadier pace. I wanted to move faster too, but I kept my eye on Hinata. She was lagging behind a little, and I don't want her to get hurt. Soon, we reached a large dirt field. There were logs in the ground and practice dummies on one side, but we saw a huge barbed wire fence. It had to be at least twenty feet tall, maybe even as tall as the trees. There were two gates on it, and Kakashi was at the left one. Dashing across the field, we stopped in front of Kakashi and a table with stuff on it.

"Good to see you all made it. You all moved quickly. Sasuke and Naruto must of taught you the "Tree Climbing Technique". Hm. Interesting." He looked at all of us before continuing. "Let's get started then. First off, I have gifts for you." I blinked. Gifts!? I thought we were going to do some training exercise! He handed us all a pair of odd-looking sandals. "People and ninja alike wore these back then. They're easier to run and fight in than your modern sandals. Also, I have these hip pouches to give you." He handed us these small, light brown bags. "They'll hold basic weapons like shuriken, kunai knives, paper bombs, and scrolls. They'll make them easy to access and use. Just attach them to you belts or pants." After some fumbling, I attached my hip pouch on and had my shoes on too. Everyone else did also.

"These are pretty cool! Thanks, Kakashi Sensei!" Kakashi looked at me.

"It's no big deal, really. I just can't have you guys defenseless. What kind of teacher would I be?" He sighed and took out his book. Again? The book? "Speaking of sensei, I'll be out searching for more teachers for you kids. Maybe I'll find some more students too. Who knows? While I'm gone, you guys will be playing a little training game." Sasuke spoke up.

"What game is it?" Kakashi looked up and stared at all of us for a moment.

"Cops and Robbers." We were all silent for a moment. I turned my head and looked at Sasuke. He glanced at me then looked at everyone else. We all exchanged glances before looking back at Kakashi. Even if it is a childish game, Gaara was right. He completely right about the "running idea"! Kakashi looked at all of us. Confusion could be seen in his left eye. "What is it? Your silence is almost worrying me." I placed my hands on my hips and let a smug smile slide on my face.

"Well, you see, we kind of already figured you would give us a game like that." Sasuke crossed his arms at Kakashi.

"And, by "we", the moron's speaking of Gaara and me." What? Hey! I helped too! I gave Sasuke a disapproving look while Kakshi clapped.

"Good job. I'm glad to see you guys are already thinking smart. Now, can you act smart? That's a different story." He turned halfway and gestured to the gate behind him. "Beyond here is the Forest of Trials. You will go in this forest many times during your school life and do various tests and training assignments. For today, you will be playing a game of Cops and Robbers." Sai raised his hand. "Yes, Sai?"

"If you're going to be gone, then does that mean some of us will be the robbers?"

"That is correct, but it is also incorrect. There will be one robber." I glanced at everyone again. One of us against the rest? Is that really fair?

"Who's the robber?" Sasuke asked. The wind suddenly picked up. The shadows of the clouds ran over us. Kakashi waited before speaking.

"Hinata." All of us guys turned our heads down the line towards Hinata. She stood on my right with wide eyes. She took a trembling finger and pointed at herself.

"M-M-Me?" Kakashi nodded, and for some reason, I felt like he seemed happy.

"Yes, you, Hinata." Hinata looked like she was about to pass out. She had her hands clasped in front of her and was shaking slightly. My mood instantly dropped. I don't want to give her any special treatment since she's the only girl and since she's kind of scared, but I do feel bad for her.

"Uh, sensei?" I looked over at Sai, who had an uncertain look in his face. A slightly similar look was on Gaara and Sasuke's faces. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Not to be blunt, but she looks like a scared rabbit about to be eaten by a wolf." At the word "wolf", Hinata jumped slightly and covered her face. I bit back a groan. This is too hard to watch.

"Hm. She looks fine to me." What!? I stared incredibly at Kakashi.

"Sensei! She's shaking! She does not look "fine"!" Kakashi stared at me. Uh oh. He's gonna kick my butt now, isn't he?

"Trust me, Naruto. She'll be fine." There was a light, carefree tone in his voice. I stared at him. Is he for real!? "You guys will have until sunset to find Hinata. There will be an area in the middle of the forest where you will get your lunch. It won't become visible for you to get until after noon. Hinata, you'll be going there to get yours too. There will be no breaks or timeouts. You boys will have to find Hinata and restrain her. Hinata, you must elude all four of them and refrain from being caught. If you must fight her to catch her, then you may do so. Hinata will have an hour head-start. No one is to leave the forest until sunset arrives. If you understand, you must respond by saying, "Yes, sensei", okay?" We all looked at each other again before responding.

"Yes, sensei!" We shouted in unison. Kakashi nodded, pleased by this.

"Good." Kakashi walked over and opened the barbed wire gates. He walked back and took a sand timer in his hand. "This is set for one hour. Hinata. It's time for you to go." I looked over at Hinata. She still looked a little unsure but nodded anyways. She looked at the rest of us and shot us a small yet almost confident smile.

"L-Let's all do our best." She looked at the forest entrance, breathed in and out quickly, and ran inside. The moment she ran in I saw her go left and vanish from view. Huh. For a second, it almost looked like she knew exactly what she was doing. I think she'll be fine though, and this may be pretty fun too. Who knows? With the timer counting down, Kakashi looked at the rest of us.

"I'll be going now. Good luck. You guys may need it." Huh? Before I could ask why, a cloud's shadow blackened our view again, but it was darker this time, and Kakashi was gone. I looked left and right and scratched my head. He's good. Strange but good. I turned towards the others, who were gathered in a semicircle.

"What did he mean by that?" I asked as I walked into the circle. Sai tapped his chin.

"Maybe he knows something about Hinata that we don't?" Sasuke shook his head.

"He's just met her, like the rest of us. He can't know too much about her." We all agreed on that. "He's probably talking about her Byakugan." Oh! Of course! I tapped my fist into the palm of my other hand.

"That makes sense! Hinata is a part of the Hyuga clan, so she can use the Byakugan. With that, she would be able to see us and avoid us right?" Sasuke nodded.

"Yeah. Surprised you remembered that, but yeah." I narrowed my eyes at him. Surprised? "With her Byakugan, she can see through solid objects, see much farther than the naked eye, and be able to detect our bodies and chakra networks. It's kind of asshole-like of Kakashi to make her the robber, but on the other hand, I can say she is probably the weakest of us without a doubt." Hey! Stop calling her weak! Before I could say anything, Gaara spoke up.

"She probably is, but we shouldn't underestimate her. She's a student, just like us, and she's still learning." Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but it's still pretty good! I nodded.

"Yeah. Even if she does know what she's doing, we should treat her like our equal." Everyone looked at me. "What?"

"What do mean by that, Naruto?" Gaara asked. I crossed my arms and frowned a little.

"Well, didn't it look like she knew what she was doing? It seemed that way to me for some reason." Sai placed his fingers at his chin thoughtfully.

"Actually, Naruto may be right." Eh? Really!? "Since I'm always alone, I'm usually studying people and their actions. A normal person would hesitate a brief moment before doing a task out of their league. Even when being told the task, once it's put right in front of you to be accomplished, hesitation is common to see. Hinata didn't hesitate. It only took her a couple seconds to recover and go in when it should of took her maybe a minute or two. Especially if she was so scared to do it in the first place. We all saw her shake, so why did she go in so fast? Another thing that's odd is how she went in."

"How she went in? You mean her running to the left and jumping up?" Sai nodded.

"Exactly." Gaara cut in.

"Based on Hinata's previous actions, she would've looked around before going anywhere. She looks around completely, taking in everything in her scope before doing much else. I saw her do it when we exited the gate. It seemed weird to me because I thought she'd been out there before." Sai nodded again.

"Exactly, Gaara. She also did it when she came to the field, and as we went deeper into the forest, she was constantly looking at everything. Yet, when it came time for her to go into the Forest of Trials, she didn't look around. She looked straight ahead and moved to the left immediately. Almost as if..." Sai paused and looked at me. Suddenly, it all became clearer.

"As if she knew what she was doing!" No way! Hinata knows how to do this assignment!? Sure, it's Cops and Robbers, but how does she know how to elude us in this forest when she's never been here before!? "Wow." I breathed out. "Hinata's pretty amazing, huh?" Sai and Gaara agreed.

"I don't know how she knows how to do this, but I might be able to figure it out." Sai said. It's a good thing we have Sai on our side. Gaara too. Sasuke's okay, I guess. Speaking of Sasuke, I glanced over at him. There was a very tense look on his face. What's with him?

"What's with you, Sasuke? You haven't said anything." We looked at him. He crossed his arms and waited a moment before speaking.

"I'm not exactly caring about how Hinata knows how to do this. We can figure that out on our own. What I want to know is how _Kakashi _knew she could do this." Huh?

Oh.

We all went silent. That's right. Kakashi knew Hinata had knowledge about this game. He's the one who chose _her _out of all of us. How did he know? How did he know Hinata was a good choice? We all stayed in silent thought for a while. I couldn't think of anyway though. It's so strange. I looked at the sand timer. We only had a couple minutes left, I think.

"Is it because she's Hyuga?" Sai asked. Gaara shook his head.

"No, it can't be. Sensei seems smarter than to just make a choice over just any opinion or fact about her clan. He must of studied her somehow." Sasuke spoke up lastly.

"But how? She was with us ever since breakfast! This makes no sense. Ah! We're running out of time." He thought for a moment before speaking again. "Okay, here's the plan, we split up from the start. Sai and I will go left towards Hinata's initial direction. Naruto and Gaara will go right. We'll fan out and search for her over the entire forest. If you find her, one person goes to find the other two while the other pursues Hinata. If we don't find her after two hours, we'll meet in the center of the forest. That sounds okay with everyone?"

"Sounds okay to me." Sai commented.

"Same with me." Gaara agreed. I cocked my head.

"Why the center?"

"Because, moron, it'll be close to lunch time by that time. Hinata will have to get her food, and we will too." He turned, and at that moment, the sand in the hourglass ran out. "Okay! Let's go!" We sprung into action. Dashing into the forest, we split, and Gaara and I headed towards the right. We jumped and leaped off tree to tree, searching for our hidden female comrade. I looked everywhere I could think of, but I couldn't find her.

"She's probably deeper in." I nodded.

"Yeah, that might be it, but this forest is really huge. She could be anywhere." The Forest of Trials was much bigger than I thought. There were huge trees everywhere with little to no patches of free ground around them. Barely any light was able to break through the tree leaves, and whatever light did still made the forest ground a bit dim. "How long has it been, Gaara?" Gaara jumped up and around a couple fallen trunks he was inspecting.

"More than an hour, I believe. Shall we head to the center?" I looked around the area a little more.

"Yeah, it's time to regroup." We sprung up and jumped our way to the center. Gaara lead the way, so I just followed him. I'm pretty bad with directions. It took us a while, but we finally found a small, circular area surrounded by trees. There was a table with food on it, and Sasuke and Sai were next to it. Landing near them, I noticed how Sasuke had an angry look on his face. "What happened?"

"She's already been here! That's what happened!" Huh!? Hinata's been here!? I looked at the table and noticed how there were only four packs of food on it. But, how? Gaara narrowed his eyes.

"That's impossible. The food only just got here, right? How'd she get to it before us?" Sai sat down and began to draw something in his notebook. I looked over and saw it was some type of sketch of the forest area.

"She couldn't have been here all along. Sasuke and I checked here before going anywhere else. She must of bypassed us somehow. Look at this." Sai held up his forest sketch, and we all kneeled down to see. It showed the Forest of Trials as a big square. There were two arrows pointing out from the entrance and in to the forest. "Left arrow shows where Sasuke and I went; right arrow is Naruto and Gaara. Hinnta originally went left, but we couldn't find her. I'm guessing the same happened to you guys, but she somehow got here before us without us spotting her. I'm pretty sure we didn't just miss her. Sasuke is very perceptive, believe it or not, and I'm sure Gaara is too." Hey! What about me!? Sasuke and I exchanged glances at his comment but didn't say anything. "So, this begs the question, how did she elude us but manage to get here before us? The answer is almost simple. This was her path, I believe." Sai made a huge swirl in his forest sketch. What?

"She went in a swirl? Are you sure?" Sai nodded.

"Pretty positive. If she goes at a certain pace and at a certain time, she's able to just bypass us. We were all going in straight lines; however, Hinata, if she was going in this direction, would be able to scout the whole forest and miss us completely. Sasuke and me visiting here in the beginning was a bad idea. Our delay in searching, unlike you two's, gave her the perfect slot of time. She'd wait for us to move, then she would move herself. Gaara and Naruto would naturally be ahead, so she'd miss you guys too while she was circularly moving. She kept doing this, but we decided to regroup. She's still in movement, but since she was faster and more efficient, she already got her lunch, just missed us, and won't return to the center." I blinked and stared speechlessly at Sai. I not sure how Hinata has done all this, and I'm not sure how Sai has figured it all out, but I'm impressed. Gaara looked at the sketch some more before talking.

"This might be it. Hinata is a very quiet and observing person. She'd probably be able to do this."

"Exactly. This type of tactic works well for her. Also, I found these on our way back." Sai reached into his backpack and pulled out a something long and orange. I took it and sniffed it. It feels and smells like orange peels. Wait. Orange peels!?

"Hinata took some oranges just this morning! This must be hers!" Sai nodded while emptying more from his bag.

"She stocked up on a vital food. Finding these on our way back only further proves Hinata was behind us the whole time, eluding us by going in a giant spiral manner." Sasuke took a peel and looked at it.

"I hate to admit it, but she's good. Like, she is _really _good." I agreed with him. Hinata must of been studying really hard or something for this. I felt my mind halt at that thought. "Studying"? Why do I feeling something nagging my brain on that? I thought back to Hinata. I imagined seeing her in her jacket with oranges in her hand, but something's missing. "Hey, Naruto. What's with you? You got a stupid look on your face." Before I could reply, a certain rectangle popped into my mind. I jumped up in surprise.

"THAT DAMN BOOK!" It all makes sense now! The others looked up at me in surprise.

"Book? What book?" Gaara questioned.

"That book Hinata's been reading since this morning! She had it with her at breakfast too! Remember when we went to meet up with her? Remember how into reading it she was?" Sai's eyes widened as he began to catch on.

"It was no normal book. It was probably a study book of some sort. She wasn't reading for leisure. She was studying this movement pattern!" Gaara and Sasuke's eyes got bigger.

"It had no title, and it's super thick too! It's probably loaded with information that she studied! Wow, I can't believe she's so dedicated. Warms my heart, actually." Sasuke gave me a look. "What!?" He stood up and crossed his arms. After thinking for a moment, he spoke once again.

"It's time that we caught that Hyuga." Gaara started speaking as he and Sai got up.

"I agree. We've spent too long sitting here. I've actually made a plan." I grabbed my lunch pack and stuffed a rice ball in my mouth. Thinking makes me hungry.

"What's your plan Gaara? I'm all ears!" I handed him a rice ball and watched him nibble on it before speaking again.

"Mm. We should intercept Hinata's path. If she's been going after all of us, then she's been going clockwise. Let's go counter-clockwise starting here since she's not going to the center anymore, but Sasuke and Sai will go clockwise. Sasuke and Sai will attack her and drive her towards Naruto and me. I'll trap her in my sand, and we'll win." Sasuke and Sai ate a bit and placed their lunches away.

"Sounds fine, I guess. Attacking her from both sides will make her frantic and easy to target. I know just the thing to do that." Sasuke smirked in an almost evil manner. Grr! He's gonna get payback on her, isn't he!?

"Stop bullying her, Sasuke!"

"I am not bullying her. I'm just going to demonstrate my ever-expanding arsenal of ninja techniques." Huh? "You'll see soon." He turned to Sai. "Come on. We got a Hyuga to catch." Sai nodded, and they ran off to the trees. Gaara turned to me after finishing his rice ball.

"We should go too."

"Yeah. Let's win this game!" We dashed up and out of the clearing. Following Sai's information, we went in a spiral like advised. It wasn't hard really. We just jumped around in a huge circle branching out more and more. This went on for a couple hours, and sunset was fast approaching. We haven't encountered Sasuke, Sai, or Hinata.

"We've seen no one this whole time." I wiped sweat of my brow and stared off into the distance of trees. The shadows were growing darker, and everything was becoming more difficult to see. I'm starting to become really tired. Even though I trained with Kakashi once, I was sure I had more stamina than this. "Should we take a break, Naruto?" I shook my head.

"No way! They've got to be here somewhere!" But, where? I jumped off another trunk and launched myself forward in the air. Suddenly, I heard Sasuke's voice, but it was different. It was commanding and sharp.

"_Fire Style! Fireball Jutsu!_" A strong surge of something thumped through the air, and the air around me suddenly grew hot. I tossed my body upwards only to barely miss a large ball of fire barreling pass me. W-What the heck!? The flames danced wildly,illuminating the area, going in a certain direction. I heard a girl's scream and looked to my right. A figure jumped from the shadows and tripped on the ground. Hinata! Sweat covered her face as she screamed at the flames that missed her and ran away. I easily caught up to her and got in front of her. She bumped into me, and I tossed my arms around her.

"Whoa there! You're not going anywhere!" I grinned down at her, and she looked up at me with wide eyes. Yes! I got her! Before I could even think of celebrating, she grew cherry red again. Uh oh. I felt her sway, and she collapsed into my arms. "H-Hinata?" I felt her forehead. Aw man! She's overheating again! Strange ball of flying fire plus her heavy jacket is not good! She's out cold. I placed her against a tree as Sasuke, Sai, and Gaara came up too us. I looked over at a smirking Sasuke and almost groaned.

I've learned some things today. One, Hinata is a very capable girl. Sure, she wears big jackets and tends to overheat at times, but she's capable of holding her own against all of us guys. Two, studying helps. I'll have to really start cracking down on some books. Gaara and Sai are naturally smart and know what they're doing. I'll just have to study some more and be able to do the same.

Oh, and three, Sasuke Uchiha's learned a jutsu before I have. That's gonna take some work to fix.


End file.
